Tag Archives: Immersive Scene

I am altering your LEGO build. Pray I do not alter it further.

Say what you like about Darth Vader, but he sure has an eye for the dramatic. You’d expect nothing less from a guy who walks around in a cape. Remember when he stopped a laser bolt with his hand in The Empire Strikes Back? If you don’t, Nathan Smith is here to jog your memory with this superbly-framed scene. It makes you wonder how long Vader was waiting there. Was he waiting in that dramatic pose for hours before our heroes arrived? Maybe that’s why he was so sassy when they finally did show up. The Dark Lord of the Sith doesn’t take kindly to tardiness, it seems.

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The start of a winning legacy (oh, and a LEGO Lancia Stratos)

I’m a simple man: I see a well-made LEGO rally car, I want to extol its virtues online. Today’s instance comes courtesy of alex_bricks, and it’s a doozy. Italian marque Lancia won no fewer than 10 manufacturers’ titles during their time in the World Rally Championship, making them the most successful car builder. (That’s despite not having competed in the sport for 30 years, by the way!) And this is the car that kick-started that trend: the Lancia Stratos. It’s devoid of sponsor stickers, but all the better to enjoy that iconic brick-built Alitalia livery! Much like Alex’s Monaco Grand Prix dioramas, this build is really elevated by putting the car in its natural habitat, although the Stratos was at its most potent on tarmac rallies. Judging by the logs and muddy-looking road, this looks like the RAC Rally (AKA Wales Rally GB) to me. The drivers have done well to keep the car so clean!

Lancia isn’t the only thing here with a winning pedigree. Our Telegram readers voted Alex’s aforementioned Monaco builds ‘Creation of the Week’ not just once, but twice! Be sure to join the channel to cast your vote this week…

The water is fine down by the Brandywine

Jesse van den Oetelaar has crafted this LEGO serene scene of a place in Middle Earth called the Brandywine River. It’s not a location I’m overly familiar with, but a river filled with brandy and wine does sound like a heck of a party! Unfortunately it also sounds like a recipe for a disastrous hangover. But hey, the last time a bunch of hobbits had a party they ended up saving the world, so it can’t all be bad! Anyway, I love Jesse’s use of depth here. It’s partly thanks to some seamless editing. But even so, the LEGO portion of this build goes back a deceptively long way. Combined with the clever photography it makes us feel totally immersed in the scene… And the river!

How it’s made: nano-fig special

Ever wondered how LEGO’s nano-figs are made? Caleb Schilling has given us a sneak peek at their production line mid-manufacture. Bet you thought it was all ABS and injection-moulding, eh? Think again! Now I’m no expert, but I believe that inside this machine, there are tiny little gremlins (smaller even than nano-figs) armed with tridents, who carve these pieces out of coloured plastic. These tools of theirs are wonderfully versatile. You can see two of them sticking out the side, which when pulled presumably give the gremlins a poke, so they know which shift to be on. Some older ones also seem to have been re-purposed for the conveyor belt. How resourceful! It’s a wonder such production methods aren’t used elsewhere, really.

(Hm? What do you mean, I’ve failed the trial period for TBB’s production expert…?)

The majesty of the Biocup

We get through all sorts of superlatives to describe LEGO builds here at The Brothers Brick, but there’s surely only one way to describe MySnailEatsPizza‘s Children of the Mountain: majestic. Isn’t it just? It’s reminiscent of the way monarchs were painted in the middle ages. The framing coupled with the forced perspective mountains make this look truly epic. We don’t know who this character is, or what their purpose is, or where they’re going; but that’s not necessary. All we know is that they’re doing it in style.

Lose yourself in this immersive brick-built workshop

Hasn’t everyone wished for a workshop like Victor van den Berg‘s at some point? I know I have. Unfortunately I still live in a one-bedroom apartment that is becoming rapidly overrun with interlocking plastic bricks. So for now, I’ll have to live vicariously through Victor’s absorbing build. The lighting is super atmospheric, and gives off a vibe of countless quiet evenings spent working on little projects here and there.

Check out all the amazing details in this immersive workshop scene

Some LEGO icons – but not as you know them

As far as motor races go, they don’t come much more iconic than the Monaco Grand Prix, made in LEGO here by alex_bricks. Not content with choosing an iconic circuit, he’s chosen an iconic race as well: the 1988 edition. As a result, one of the most dominant cars in F1 history also makes an appearance in the form of the red-and-white McLaren MP4/4. And driven by the legendary Ayrton Senna, no less. There’s more LEGO icons here than in a LEGO store! While the immersive setting is superb, I’m most impressed by the cars. LEGO F1 cars are sometimes prone to being either oversized relative to minifigures, or looking too bulky. Alex has absolutely nailed the design here though. The sleek noses are expertly crafted with some wedge slopes and angled tiles, which look just perfect at this scale. That the cars are so recognisable without any custom decals is a testament to the quality of this build!

Well, he’s not called Stanley Ku-BRICK for nothing, I suppose...

Take a look through Shannon Sproule‘s Flickr photos, and you’ll see his interest in toys extends beyond the plastic bricks we cover on this website. He may not be the most prolific builder, but he’s a skilled toy photographer. What that does mean is that whenever his LEGO gets put in front of the camera, the results are stunning. Best of all? He’s also got a keen eye for retro sci-fi styling! Take a look at his latest scene. It’s a hotel room with a robot concierge, which sounds fairly innocuous. But the framing, the lighting (I love the backlit anti-studs above the bed!) and the positioning of the figures give this a real sense of foreboding. It doesn’t help that the concierge is keen to point out the escape routes in the caption. If you mixed The Shining and 2001: A Space Odyssey into a film, I bet this is what the poster outside the cinema would look like. Stanley Kubrick would be proud!

Don’t you hate surprise visits from your supervisor?

I’m certainly not a purist when it comes to LEGO creations – I quite like seeing the outside world rearing its head among the plastic bricks. In Andreas Lenander‘s crystal cavern, that comes in the form of a piece of black glass representing an underwater lake. Naturally, LEGO bricks aren’t that reflective, so seeing such clear reflections is unusual! It makes the whole scene very serene. Aside from the water, though, everything else in the frame is 100% authentic Danish bricks, and it looks wonderfully immersive. The dwarf has clearly been busy unearthing those crystals, and presumably the boat is there to pick up his spoils. Or to check that he is actually working. I do hate it when your supervisor looks over your shoulder while you’re worki—

Huh? What? Yes, that report will be with you today, boss. I’m, uh, writing it right now…

What ne’er-do-wells will we find down this dark alley?

I’d love to know the secrets of this alleyway scene by Geneva Durand. The setting itself looks very moody – a dark alley on a rainy day, with only a solitary lantern for light. And then there are the characters… We can only see the back of one, suggesting we’re eavesdropping on this particular conversation. The other does look quite pleased with himself though. What could be in that envelope? Is he delivering good news that they don’t want prying eyes to see? Or is it something more nefarious – an ultimatum, or a ransom payment? There’s real tension in the air thanks to the excellent photo composition, but let’s not take away from the equally excellent model!

The stone walls are made of tiles inset using brackets, each attached to a hinge plate. This means each ‘brick’ can have its own subtle angle, emulating the haphazard look these old walls often have. The cobbled street, made using round tiles, only serves to accentuate this. The hinge plates on the timber buttresses are functional first and foremost, but also serve a decorative purpose in an area that could otherwise look fairly uninteresting. Geneva has provided an interesting behind-the-scenes shot showing just how the alleyway comes together.

And everything under the sun is in tune

Every once in a while we get a build that is out of this world. Not only because of techniques or parts usage, but because it is a work of art made with LEGO pieces. Ring-Rise by Tom Loftus (Inthert) is exactly that. A colourful painting. A cinematic shot with perfect framing. Just an astronaut and his cat, all alone on a monochrome alien world, looking out on the colourful rings of a planet. A simple idea, flawless execution.

Tom knew he wanted to incorporate the famous basalt columns of Iceland into a build. The Alien Landscape category of the yearly Space Jam contest was the perfect opportunity. Layering them in shades of grey (black to dark grey to light grey) give the impression of light coming in from the space-scape beyond. The planetary ring uses Simon Pickard’s intricate curving surface technique that few have mastered. Tom spiced it up by making it as colourful as he could, evoking the psychedelic hues of nebulae and other heavenly bodies.

Check out more builds by Tom here!

TBB Cover Photo for January 2022: The king’s royal hangover

Why is the start of the new year in the middle of winter? It’s dark and cold out, everyone is tired. Even indoors can be dark and cold, just like this grand high-ceilinged throne room built by Andreas Lenander. After a night of celebrations within his keep, the noble king returns to his throne with a royal hangover to ponder the existential dilemma of ruling instead of partying. Or he may be wondering what’s taking his servant so long to fetch the breastplate stretcher…

We recently wrote about this grand royal hall, but we decided to use this immersive and atmospheric shot as the cover photo for our social media platforms. Despite my questionable interpretation of the scene (and one too many Bobby B references), the composition of this build and the photo speaks for itself as good storytelling. The king positioned on the white carpet draws the eye to the throne looming in the darkness, prompting the pondering of his situation. Does the darkness mean that his kingdom is in peril? Do the columns signify that the king is trapped in a risky position of power (and he’d rather be spending his life partying with peasant girls)? Ok, I’ll stop now.

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